The ad, released Wednesday, Aug. 20, as Labor Day and the start of the most intense part of campaign season begins, depicts Bock packing a suitcase, as if to prepare for an aid mission. He responded to earthquakes and civil wars as an aid worker with Catholic Relief Services and the American Refugee Committee, and now aims to help fix the current ”disaster“ in Washington, D.C.

“Politicians look out for themselves, instead of the middle class. They shut down the government and risk our paychecks, but keep getting theirs,” he says in the ad. “Washington’s a disaster. I’m ready to go to work.”

In response to Bock’s ad, Walorski’s campaign issued a statement jabbing at the imagery of Bock packing a suitcase.

"Missouri politician Joe Bock continues to show how out of touch he is with our Hoosier values,“ said Emily Daniels, deputy manager for the Walorski campaign. ”With his bag already packed, Bock should do Hoosiers a favor and take his votes for higher taxes and more government spending back to Missouri."

The Walorski campaign didn’t elaborate on the votes alluded to in the Daniels statement. Jennifer Coffman, Bock’s campaign manager, jabbed back though, queried about the statement.

"If they think Washington is working, they are the ones who are out of touch,“ Coffman said in an e-mail.

’CRISIS CREATED BY POLITICIANS’

While with Catholic Relief Services and the American Refugee Committee, Bock worked variously in Pakistan, Israel and the Balkans. He’s helped with support of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, conflicts at the grassroots level between Israelis and Palestinians and the aftermath of the conflicts in the Balkans.

More recently, in 2010, he traveled to Haiti to assist in the recovery following a disastrous earthquake there.

He’s dealt with people very hostile to one another, and now he aims to use those conflict resolution skills in Congress. "Working in crisis relief for Catholic Relief Services and other organizations has prepared me to take on the challenges of the crisis created by politicians in Washington, D.C.,” Bock said in a statement.

In the phone interview, Bock said some of the issues that have popped up on the campaign trail include frustration with the seeming slow economic recovery. Senior citizens have expressed concern about being able to maintain Social Security benefits over the long haul and business people have touted the need for government stability, recalling the uncertainty of the U.S. government shutdown last year.